Monday Motivation Archives (2024)

Last week, country music lost one of its most iconic stars. Over the course of several decades, Toby Keith’s perfectly deep, rich voice belted out 42 songs that became top-10 on the Billboard Country chart.While many of those songs were about bars, or girls, or his love for his country, it is one of his most gentle songs that remains not only one of my favorite songs, but an anthem we should try to live out loud throughout our lives. And the backstory of the song is as inspiring as the song itself.While playing in a charity golf tournament, Toby was matched with the legendary Clint Eastwood. Making their way through the course and chatting about various projects both were working on, Eastwood shared that he was about to begin directing and starring in a new movie called “The Mule.” Toby Keith, in his late 50s at the time, laughed with amazement and asked how a man almost 90 years old could possibly remain as active and involved as Eastwood.Eastwood thought for a moment, looked Toby in the eyes and responded in his famously tough-guy voice, "I don't let the old man in."This encounter sparked Toby that same day to begin writing a song borrowing advice he just received on a golf course.“Don't let the old man in” is a song that reminds us that age is merely a number. It invites us to be more intentional in the manner we approach our days, regardless our age. It encourages us to live with vitality and to not succumb to the weariness or cynicism that can accompany aging.With its gentle melody and reflective lyrics, the song sparks us to let go of fear, to be less complacent, and to live each day with zest.Toby Keith’s last television performance was on September 28th at the People’s Choice Awards. Although few people knew it at the time, Toby was in profound pain, the stomach cancer ravaging his body as the singer courageously walked onto the stage. With his wife of four decades in the front row wiping tears, knowing that this was her husband’s way of saying goodbye, Toby sang this love song not only to his fans, but to life:Don't let the old man in,I wanna leave this alone.Can't leave it up to him,He's knocking on my door.And I knew all of my life,That someday it would end.Get up and go outside,Don't let the old man in.Many moons I have lived,My body's weathered and worn.Ask yourself how old would you be,If you didn't know the day you were born.Try to love on your wife,And stay close to your friends.Toast each sundown with wine,Don't let the old man in.My friends, regardless our age, our circ*mstances, or the challenges we face, we have agency to love passionately, to experience fully and live purposefully.Undoubtedly life gets hard. Things happen. We get tired.But today choose to joyfully walk onto the stage anyway. And don’t let the old man in.This is your day. Live Inspired. ... See MoreSee Less

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Paul Ollinger is a nationally-touring comedian and a former Facebook VP of Sales. As one of Facebook's first 250 employees, Paul managed a team that generated about 35% of the company’s revenue. After retiring from Facebook at 42, Paul found himself bored, lonely and unfulfilled. Wondering why the wealth windfall he had so long pursued didn’t deliver the contentment he expected, Paul launched the Crazy Money Podcast to explore the connections between money and happiness.Today, Paul shares how his childhood shaped his traditional conservative economic outlook, how he weighed his success in how much money he made, and ultimately how he learned that money's only one attribute to a multivariable equation for happiness in life.My friends, you’ll leave this conversation with a newfound appreciation for the complexities of happiness beyond wealth.Listen to Unofficial: Paul Ollinger on Live Inspired Podcast ep. 644 now. ... See MoreSee Less

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This Sunday, the 49ers and Chiefs take the field in the final football game of the NFL season. On their sport’s biggest stage, with their friends, family, Taylor Swift and a global audience of 120 million tuning in, they’ll compete to become Super Bowl champions.Throughout this week they will be at the frenzied epicenter of media stories and social media virality culminating in these players taking the field Sunday in Las Vegas. They’ll create moments that influence drives, determine the result of the game, and impact how they are remembered by their fans forever. Sunday will, undoubtedly, be the biggest day in the lives of many of these athletes.And then it will be over.Monday will follow for both teams. The confetti will be swept up, the uniforms will be packed away, and the stadium will be emptied out. The season will wrap and the players will head home. For some, it will be their final game.Yes, one team will win. They’ll give their speeches, wear their rings and have their parade.And one team will lose. They’ll hang their heads, saunter off the field and agonize over how close they were to victory.But regardless the result, these athletes will be faced recognizing that the moment they’ve spent a lifetime preparing for is over. Now what?They won’t be the only ones. Elsewhere that same Monday a recent retiree will report to the living room instead of the office. Empty nesters will wake up to a quiet house. A newly single widow will eat alone. A young couple will bring home their new baby for the first time.Change is inevitable, sometimes forced by the conclusion of a sports season, the ending of a relationship or the loss of a job. Whether perceived as positive or negative, none of us will be spared the shifts to our identities that happen throughout the course of our lives. Win or lose, change often leaves us not just questioning what we’ll do, but who we are.I watched this happen in real time with my dad as his Parkinson’s disease progressed.The man who never missed a day of school or work for more than four decades, could no longer work. My dad, the lawyer, the business owner? Not any longer.The father who was perpetually moving was unable to move at all. My dad, the coach, the cook, the carpooler? Not anymore.The man who was always active in the community serving others now required fulltime care and constant attention. Talk about an identity crisis.So, my friends, how do you respond when a title you once wore proudly is removed? How do you react when a season you worked so hard for comes to an end? How do you move forward when the life you once lived is no longer the one you’re living?For Dad, rather than focus on all the titles that no longer apply to him, he beautifully celebrates all he is right now. A source of strength and wisdom to his children. A joyful force in the lives of his grandchildren. A profoundly grateful spouse to his lovely wife. And an inspiration to all who have been impacted by him over the years.Dad has taught us that when life changes, we can either waste our time yearning for what we’ve lost and wait for someone to make it better, or we can own the gift of the life we still have and the possibility within it going forward.The secret of change is not in fighting the old, but in learning the lessons from the past, embracing the gifts within each moment and focusing our energy on building the new. It won’t change the outcome of the scoreboard on Sunday, but more importantly, it will change how you live regardless the result.That’s good news for Denny, for both Super Bowl teams, for the Swifties. And, yes, for you!This is your day. Live Inspired. ... See MoreSee Less

Raise your hand if January nearly did you in? Yup! You're not alone. Why not start February off with a little inspiration?Each month I host a live meet-up in our free, online community. Join us in our Live Inspired Together community this Monday, February 5 at 4pm CST and get inspired with what’s possible, get encouragement in taking the next right step in your journey and get updates on our On Fire movie project! You’ll also get a front row seat to our new On Fire For Good campaign that honors individuals embracing their potential to impact those around them for GOOD. Will you join me? To do so, register for Live Inspired Together and I'll send you the Zoom link!community.liveinspiredtogether.com/registrations/groups/66867 ... See MoreSee Less

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Tarek El Moussa is best known for HGTV shows like Flip or Flop and Flipping 101, but he’s so much more. He’s a thriving businessman, two-time cancer survivor, and devoted husband and father.Today, Tarek opens up about the transformative chapters that have shaped his life. Join us to hear about the peaks and valleys of how he navigated the distressing subprime mortgage crisis in the early 2000s, pivoted into the intricate dance of flipping houses and overcame multiple personal and health challenges along the way.My friends, this conversation is so much more than real estate or flipping houses. It will inspire you to find opportunity in moments of struggle, to persevere through challenges, and to cultivate a mindset that transforms adversity into a catalyst for personal and professional growth.Don't miss Tarek El Moussa on Live Inspired Podcast ep. 642. ... See MoreSee Less

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